The Sokovia Accords: Steve Rogers

Part 2 in the series. Enjoy.

Well, I'd be lying if I said the Sokovia Accords were an easy decision. I didn't sign them, I still haven't signed them and I'm not planning to any time soon. I understand why Tony pushed so hard for this. And I understand why people like Senator Ross pushed for them. I'm not saying that either of them are wrong for trying to ensure people get protected when the Avengers assemble. There's a lot of things that are still right about the Accords. To be honest... the only thing I'm really saying is that I didn't sign them. And I'm still not going to.

I can't speak for anyone other than myself. Every one of the Avengers made their choice for their own reasons. Maybe my actions did inspire them, and I do know about the image that 'Captain America' represents. But I've never known where Steve Rogers ends and Captain America begins. I haven't had the... luxury of that kind of identity crisis. Not yet, anyway. So, the only way to look at the Sokovia Accords for me is in that very moment.

I didn't sign the Sokovia Accords because I know that just a piece of paper isn't going to do anything. I'm not saying that about every treaty or bill ever signed, either. Again, I can only speak about this one instance because it is unique. There are going to be moments like it.

The world, most of the world, the countries and the diplomats and the people, even the Avengers that signed that document, they were doing this because one thing started it all- loss. They lost people, they lost friends and family members because of what we did, because of what I did. Because I wasn't fast enough, or strong enough, because we didn't send enough early warning signals, we were too slow to evacuate people, we weren't mindful enough about who needed help, how fast the destruction was spreading, and countless other reasons. People were hurt, they lost their friends and families and they were looking for somewhere to place the blame.

I looked at that pen, I held it and... I felt the weight of that loss. The people I couldn't help, the people that cared for them, I felt that weight. I'm sorry to those people. I really, truly am. I felt failure, my own failure staring me back in the face. And if I signed, I knew I wouldn't be an Avenger. I would be failing them again.

I told Stark it was just a way to shift the blame around. And it was, but that's not all of it. I knew there would be a time I might have to break the rules in that document. So what was the point of signing it? Putting my name on it would've been the most dishonest thing I could do. I would've given up the shield right there a second later. Signing those Accords would have been the death of Captain America and any good in the man that is Steve Rogers.

Stark talks about responsibility but he goes overboard with it. I love Tony but sometimes, his ego still gets the better of him. He assumes that he can do something and get away with it and that somehow means everyone can. I'm not perfect either, but it wasn't right for him to spy on Wanda like that. How far is he going to go? If we have to have restraint, why doesn't Tony know where to draw the line? Why doesn't Ross know where to draw the line?

We can't save everybody. Not every time. These things are going to keep happening. People will be lost. But if we do nothing, more will be lost. More than just lives. That's what the Sokovia Accords and the sentiment behind it all forgets. The Avengers do take responsibility for those we lose not because we're made to but because we choose to. It's our decision. It's always going to be our decision and even signing a treaty authored by every nation in existence won't change that fact. It's our choice to act.

We're supposed to be better. Earth's mightiest heroes. And the Sokovia Accords turns the word "hero" into some sort of bureaucratic term like "enhanced individual." What if another "enhanced individual" blows up a school or a hospital during a fight, but they don't care because they were operating with approval from the board? No, if someone is actually a hero, that doesn't make them perfect but it damn sure means they don't let some desk-working politicians do the job for them. With all due respect to our politicians and desk-workers.

We're the ones out in the field, we're the ones making the decisions. If people die, it's not because a board authorized it- it's because we screwed up. And the board is just going to throw money at the people who lost their homes, businesses and lives because we did. That's all the Sokovia Accords really do- they make it so that if the Avengers screw up, we pay damages. It's basically superhero insurance. And that's not a bad idea, but that's where it starts and where it ends. It shouldn't end there, not with a few numbers on a paper. Not with a receipt.

Of course, Tony would be the first to say money is important. People are entitled to make claims. They shouldn't just have to accept that we're going to fight, that it could be anywhere and there's nothing they can do about it. That they have no say in it. If the Accords make them happy, if it makes it easier for them to rebuild and go on with their lives, that's a good thing. We can't fix everything on our own and I know that. So, there is some good to the Sokovia Accords. And I still can't sign them.

Maybe there are some "enhanced individuals" that should sign them. Maybe even Avengers, if it helps them do their job. I can't speak for them, even for the ones that followed me and didn't sign. I can only speak for myself. I didn't sign the Sokovia Accords because I knew it wouldn't be right.